Architecture

Despite city hall's propensity to knock down historic structures, Detroit's building stock remains pretty remarkable for a city of its size. From humble Victorians in Corktown to sprawling mansions in Indian Village, from Yamasaki's sleek and calm McGregor Conference Center to the jaw-dropping deco design on display at the Guardian Building, the city's got enough in the bricks-'n'-mortar department to keep those tourist cameras snapping.

Parducci was an Italian-American immigrant who came to Detroit via New York in 1925. An architectural sculptor, he would complete over 600 commissions in his 60-year career, many of them a part of Detroit's most iconic buildings.

More than $40 million is being invested in the renovation of buildings -- big and small -- along the three blocks of West Alexandrine between Woodward Avenue and Third Street. It's here where some of the city's newest marquee business have set up shop and where the changing face of Midtown Detroit is most acutely visible.